Felt Playhouse

Hi Crafters,

Happy New Year's Eve!  2011 was full of wonderful memories and blessings for my family!  Here's one of the last projects made in 2011.  This one was a huge team effort, my mom, younger sister, and I worked diligently during parts of Thanksgiving and Christmas Break.  This past summer I stumbled on these felt playhouses on etsy from MissPrettyPretty.  She has some beautiful work!  She also sells a pattern PDF filled with tricks, tips, and directions including everything you could think to put on these houses.  I convinced my mom (I don't know how to sew) to purchase the pattern to make this for my niece for Christmas.

The house slides over a card table (and she includes how to measure your table properly).  It took us 4 solid work days to complete this project.  There is a TINY bit of cricuted work on this house.  My niece loves ducks so I made a template using ducks from  A Child's Year.

My niece loved it!  We were thrilled with the way it turned out.  We used the eco recycled acrylic felt from Joann's.  My parents also got me a Husquvarna Viking Emerald 183 for Christmas/birthday this year.  We used it for the project and the machine handled the whole thing like a champ!

Happy Crafting and Happy New Year!

2012 Calendar

Hi Crafters,

I made a calendar for my mom for 2011.  When her November birthday rolled around she planted the bug that she hopped she'd be getting a new calendar.  I had already started on her 60th birthday gift, I just didn't have time to put a new one together.  Luckily Christmas was right around the corner!  I used my bind it all with 3/4 inch black rings.  The month titles came from Designer Calendar.  The font on the front and silhouettes are from A Child's Year.

 The cat is from Teresa Collin's Chic and Spooky cartridge.

She was so excited to open this up on Christmas.  I hope you are ready for 2012!

Happy Crafting,

Merry Christmas!

Hi Crafters,

It's Christmas Eve!  I'm looking forward to a few days filled with our families!  Here are a few projects I've been working on.

We had our annual gingerbread house making party this week.  I got to use my cake machine and used fondant on the roof.  I should have cut things in advance but oh well live and learn!  It was just nice to use it and it did really well!

Here are a few Christmas cards I made.  The snowflake is from Cake Basics, the stamp is a studio G stamp, and I embossed it with Martha Stewart glitter embossing powder.  The background is white and embossed with the snowflake cuttlebug folder.

I have a few projects that I've been working on for Christmas gifts as well, but those will have to wait!

Merry Christmas Crafters!  

Round Loom Prayer Shawl

Hi Crafters,
Happy Advent Season!  I hope you have been able to enjoy this time.  I have had lots of crafting to do this month!  This first project was a project for my mother in law.  She just finished seminary and is holding a worship service called Blue Christmas today.  She asked for people to make prayer shawls for the participants in the service and pray for them as you knit.  I just got my round looms a few months ago so I wasn't sure how it would work out but I wanted to help.

I did some youtubing and found this great Round Loom Shawl Video.  I even learned a new stitch! This stitch is e-looping 2 pegs and skipping 1 peg. I did double up the yarn because I used a thinner yarn than the tutorial suggested, so really it was 2 strands for each stitch. It made these beautiful chunky braids. I used the largest round loom in the set and instead of connecting it like you would a hat I stopped and went the other direction.

This project took almost 2 skeins of yarn, I used red heart.  I used a small crochet hook to finish the end.

I also made some tags with my cricut but of course forgot to take pictures before I gave them to her!

Thanks for stopping by!  We're making Gingerbread Houses tonight and I get to use my cricut cake machine!  I'm pretty excited! There are more Christmas projects to come so come by later on!

Happy Crafting,

Brown Paper Packages Tied up with String...

Hi Crafters,

Happy Advent Season!  I just love Christmas!  We got our tree up last weekend and I was able to wrap some gifts so it looked a bit more festive!  I know kraft paper has been very popular this year so I grabbed a roll at the local office supply store.

I used the Cake cartridge that came with my mini for the cutouts.  I then used a few sets of Martha Stewart's alphabets to monogram the package instead of doing gift tags.  I used gold ink and it blends in a little too well so I will probably use something a bit darker for the next batch. I used tulle, raffia, and ribbon to tie the packages off. I really like how simple the packages look but yet have a bit of elegance as well.

Happy Crafting,

Summer Layouts

Hi Crafters,

Here are a few more layouts from my weekend.  I had a bit of catching up to do!

The artist is from Printing Press.  I actually found this scrap with a star already cutout and ended up liking how it worked with the layout.  The bucket, shovel, and text on the next layout are from Life's a Beach

This next layout uses text from Opposites Attract.  I welded the letters with the gypsy.  I used my xyron to put the ribbon and rick-rack through.  Don't worry about the chocolate spatula licking, her aunt is feeding her GrandMary's fudge (no raw eggs).

Happy Crafting,

Trouble Folded 3 page layout

Hi Crafters,

I saw this technique from a fellow scrapper who regularly comes to the semi-annual scrap retreat I go on.  She needed a bit more space for a layout so she put a fold on the end of a page to attach another page.
I started out with the green Trouble layout from a few months ago.  I had 2 more pages of my lovely niece getting into some mischief so I decided to combine them.

I cut the brown paper at 8x11.  I then scored the 11 inch side at 8 inches with my Martha Stewart scoreboard.  That left me with a 3 inch flap, which I glued down to the scrapbook prior to putting on the blue polka dotted paper.  I then covered the flap with the blue paper and covered the inside of the brown paper with matching blue paper cut at 8x8.

The font is Designer Calendar and welded with the gyspy.  The arrow and speech bubble are from Don Juan.

I'm really happy with how these layouts turned out.

Thanks for stopping by,

Baby Book Fall Layouts

Hi Crafters,

I worked on my nieces baby album some this weekend.  Shutterfly has been sending out free print deals left and right so I was able to stock up on pictures.  I know she is more of a toddler now but I decided to add on to her baby book.

Here are a few layouts I came up with.

I made this layout with Teresa Collin's Chic and Scary.  I embossed the circles (cut at 1.25 inches) with a halloween embossing folder and rubbed them on a watermarking embossing ink pad.  Isn't she the cutest cat you've ever seen?

I made this Autumn layout using the Gypsy Wonderings cartridge for the pumpkin boarder.  Autumn came from Stretch Your Imagination.  I love the picture of her squealing with delight in her swing.

Check back tomorrow for a few more layouts!

Happy Crafting,

Thanksgiving Vinyl Pumpkins

Hi Again,

I had some pumpkins that I did not get a chance to do anything with for Halloween.  I decided to add some vinyl to them as Thanksgiving decor for my mom.  I used black vinyl and my gypsy.  I didn't use transfer tape with these because of all the ridges on the pumpkins.

I also made a "thankful" pumpkin for my hair dresser. I have a few left I may make some for our attic space.

The thankful text is a mixture of Opposites Attract

Family and blessed are both from Lyrical Letters.

Happy Crafting!

60th birthday card...so big it won't fit in an envelope

Hi Crafters,
I used Flower Shoppe to make my mom's birthday card. She lives close by so I didn't have to mail it which made the delivering process much easier!  I ended up putting into a box, a2 card box directions.

I used purple coordinations paper and embossed a few of the layers with the cuttlebug.  The centers are buttons and the petal is felt.  I used raffia for the ribbon.  I've found that hot glue is really the best way to get these flowers to stay put.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Crafting,

60 memories for 60 years

Hi crafters,

My mom turned 60 over the weekend.  She's a fantastic lady! I am SO lucky to have her in my life. Here's a quick snapshot from last Halloween for idiom day.  She was the tree and I was the apple..for "The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree".

This year for her birthday I saw an idea on Pinterest where the blogger had contacted friends and families to gather memories for her dad's birthday.  I used my bind it all and a 1.25 inch silver wire to bind a 6x6 book.  I contacted friends and family to add to the book. I used stamps and cricut images to supplement the memories.

I also used envelopes to put in stories that were a bit longer.  She loved the way it turned out.  There was lots of laughing and a few teary moments as she flipped through the pages.  I had a blast putting it together as the memories rolled in from people.

Happy Birthday Mom!

A Late Boo For You..

Hi Crafters,

I made this late halloween card for a friend in the military.  I used the Teresa Collin's Chic and Scary cartridge.  I had a hard time finding it and therefore ordered it on the late side.  It came before Halloween but just barely.  I'm excited to have it for next year when we're in our house and able to decorate for the seasons!

I cut the web with vellum and the background is glitter paper.  I love the way it turned out.

Another little house update.  We have our first wall up!  Here's the master bedroom window.

Fall has been stunning up here in the mountains.  I hope you won't get tired of the house updates!

Happy crafting,